Lightly armored vehicles have recently seen increased use in urban combat situations in which a gunner operating a roof mounted weapon is often exposed to close quarter small arms fire and/or improvised explosive devices (“IEDs”). Accordingly, these vehicles are often retrofitted with gunner protection kits (“GPKs”) that position armored panels or similar structures around the hatch of the vehicle to form an armored envelope shielding the upper body of a gunner operating the roof mounted weapon while standing in the hatch. The armored envelope typically defines an opening through which the weapon can be extended. The opening is typically sized to correspond to the type of weapon mounted and to provide sufficient visibility to allow the gunner to effectively aim and operate the weapon while still protecting the gunner from ballistic threats.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, and 2, 2a, 2b,and 2c, the inherent challenge with sizing of the armored envelope as well as the opening is that necessary size and shape of the opening can vary substantially depending on the weapon and equipment mounted to the vehicle. With light or heavy machine guns such as M2, M240 or M249 machine guns, the opening defined by the armored envelope of the GPK is typically a narrow vertical slot through which the barrel of the machine gun can be extended. The vertical slot allows the gunner to rotate the gun within the vertical slot to aim the gun while shielding the gunner from ballistic threats. With large bore weapons such as MK19 grenade launcher or M120/M121 mortars, the larger diameter of the barrel of those weapons may not fit within the narrow vertical slot suitable for machine guns. Similarly, grenade launchers or mortars are often fired at angles approaching vertical so projectiles are filed toward the target on a parabolic trajectory. Thus the vertical slot used for machines guns cannot accommodate the high angles necessary to operate grenade launchers or mortars. While missile or rocket launchers are often fired at near horizontal angles compatible with the vertical slots used for machine guns, the launchers require substantially larger diameter slots through which the rocket or missile can pass through. In addition, the targeting system for the launcher is often offset from the launch tube itself requiring a second opening or an enlarged first opening through which the targeting system can be aimed.
In addition, the overall geometry of armored envelopes sized for machine guns and grenade launcher is often too small to fit the often substantially bulkier dimensions of missile or rocket launchers and other large weapon systems. The limited confines of the armored envelope can also present safety hazards for the gunner when operating missile launchers or other systems that produce significant back blast. Machine guns, grenade launchers and mortars produce no back blast. Accordingly, GPKs for those weapon systems typically do not include additional openings for venting back blast as doing so creates additional paths through which ballistic threats can travel. A similar drawback is that targeting systems used for painting targets for airstrikes or artillery fire are also often large and bulky making them incompatible with the often smaller envelope geometry created by GPKs for machine guns. The specific requirements of individual weapons and equipment systems typically requires that the entire GPKs be replaced when a different weapon or targeting system is to be mounted, thereby substantially increasing the logistical challenges of providing adequate protection for the gunner.
A similar challenge with GPKs is that the armored envelope formed by the GPK can substantially increase the overall height of the vehicle. The armored paneling must often extend a substantial distance above the top of the hatch to provide sufficient protection for the gunner. The armored envelope typically comprises paneling positioned around the hatch that is at least the height of the gunner's head. In addition, the armored envelope often comprises an armored roof for protecting the gunner from ballistic threats originating from above the vehicle. The top cover further increases the height of the armored envelope and the overall height of the vehicle. As the GPKs are often fitted to the vehicle before the armored vehicles are transported into the theater by ship or plane, the added height can make efficiently transporting the vehicles to the theater within the limited confines of a ship or plane difficult. Accordingly, GPKs are often separately transported and not fitted to the vehicle until after the vehicle has been transported into the theater. However, the inherent drawback of this approach is that the assembly process must be done in theater where maintenance and other equipment necessary for assembly may be more limited. In addition, the assembly process creates substantial downtime where the vehicle is otherwise ready for use, but is awaiting installation of the GPK.
Accordingly, there is a need for a means of providing an armored envelope for gunners that can be used with multiple weapons or targeting systems, while allowing for efficient transport of the vehicle into the theater.